Lavender's Blue
by Danielle Shepherd
Summary: The two times Charles Carson has heard her sing the old nursery rhyme, and the one time she answered his question about it. Set in 1903 and 1924. Hints at Chelsie. Now with added second chapter, set in 1925 and 1928.
1. Lavender's Blue

**A/N: So this came about, purely because I have had this song stuck in my head since I saw Cinderella at the cinema last Tuesday (by the way, its pretty awesome. Lily and Sophie are outstanding), and I wanted to put it into a fic somehow. I had intended for this to go one way but when writing it, my mind clearly wanted me to take it in another direction.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this, or the song.**

* * *

1903

As he watched the last of the carriage's drive away, Charles Carson allowed himself a slight nod. Once again, the preparation and execution of the family's decampment to Duneagle for the Grouse had gone successfully. In fact he noted, that if possible, it had been more seamless than most years, something he attributed to the new housekeeper Elsie Hughes who had only held the position for six months since her promotion when Mrs Hill had retired. He closed the front doors, and did a quick sweep of the rooms to check that everything was as it should be.

As he headed downstairs, he noted that it was fairly quiet, which didn't surprise him, as the staff that had stayed behind had headed into the village where a fair had been set up. Only a few hall boys, and kitchen maids had stayed at the house. As it was a nice day, and there was nothing pressing that he had to do, Charles decided that he would head outside and sit in the gardens for a while.

He opened the back door, the first thing he heard was a voice singing softly. It was then that he noticed the voice belonged to the housekeeper. She was sat on the bench with her legs tucked into her chest, her head resting on her knees. Charles recognised the song, he could recall a young Lady Mary regaling her mother with it in the nursery, but he wasn't aware that Elsie was aware of the old English nursery rhyme.

_Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green,_

_When I am king, dilly, dilly, You shall be queen._

_Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?_

_'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so._

_Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work_

_Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the fork,_

_Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn,_

_While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm._

It was then he noticed there was a small tear resting on cheek. Charles briefly thought about going back inside to give her some privacy. However, they had become friends in the past six months, and he wanted to help her if she needed someone to talk to.

As she heard someone approach her, Elsie immediately stopped singing and looked up, wiping her eyes in the process.

"Was there something you wanted Mr Carson?" she asked when she saw who it was.

"No," he replied "I was about to take a turn in the gardens. Would you like to accompany me?" he asked issuing an unspoken invitation that he would listen if she wanted to talk.

"Some other time," Elsie replied, "I have a letter to write," she added as she stood up and headed back inside.

* * *

1924

As he made his way along the gallery, as he often did during the course of his afternoon rounds, Charles Carson was deep in thought. He pulled his pocket watch out and looked at the time. It had been sixteen hours - not that he was keeping count - since his plans had took a setback.

This time yesterday, he'd been full of hope. Hope that he would soon, be the very lucky man that got to call Elsie Hughes his wife. He had initially planned to have them run the guest house, and move them into more romantic territory, then when the time came for them to retire, he would ask her to marry him. Now, with Elsie's revelation from the previous night about how every spare penny she had was used to care for her sister, his plans now seemed to fall by the wayside. Charles found he couldn't be the least bit annoyed with her for keeping it secret. In fact, he found that he admired her even more, since she'd told him she'd given up any hope of any sort of retirement so her sister could remain in the home that she loved.

As he neared the Arundel bedroom, he heard Elsie's soft lilting voice, once again singing the same nursery rhyme he'd heard all those years ago. Charles stood just outside the doorway and watched as she made up the bed, ready for Lady Edith when the family returned the following day. As he listened to her sing, he allowed himself to imagine her singing the words in a little garden at the back of their own little house.

_Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue,_

_If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you._

_Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play;_

_We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way._

_I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;_

_When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king._

_Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?_

_I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so._

Charles was so caught up in her thoughts, that he didn't hear her singing stop, or see her finish making up the bed.

"Was there something you wanted Mr Carson?" Elsie asked as she exited the bedroom and saw him stood outside the door.

"No," he replied quickly, as he attempted to distract himself from his thoughts. "I heard singing and wondered who it was." he added as they started to walk towards to the servants door "I heard you sing that song once before. Not long after you'd became housekeeper."

"I remember," she nodded.

"You seemed sad singing it, why?" he asked, wondering if now she would open up to him about it.

"It's a favourite of Becky's," Elsie replied simply, she had no reason to keep the truth from him anymore, "I used to sing it to her when we were younger. Whenever I get the chance to visit her, she always makes me sing it," she added, "it's also a favourite of mine, I sing it when I'm feeling low," she finished, as she followed him through the door.

As they walked towards their respective rooms in silence, Elsie kept her remaining thoughts to herself. She knew it would do him no good to know that while enjoying their little dream, she had imagined singing it in a little garden, behind their own little house.

* * *

**Timeline wise, the second half occurs the day that Mr Bates leaves Downton in the Christmas special, to be more precise, I like to think its where they are when Mr Bates asks Mr Molesley to give the letters to Mr Carson.**

**Let me know what you think.**


	2. Lavender's Green

**A/N: Hello again, I wasn't expecting to write a second chapter, but several people asked for one, especially for it to be a little happier and I had an idea that I felt could work (that's what you can find in the second section). The first section set in 1925, was inspired by a lovely comment from brenna-louise and something she said she'd like to see, so I hope you like it. I intended it to be a parallel to a certain moment from series 3, that I think every Chelsie shipper loves.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, never have done, never will do. **

* * *

1925

It had been ten months, since Elsie thought their dream had died, eight months since Charles had asked her to marry him causing their dream to be reignited. It had been four months since they had stood at the front of the church and the housekeeper at Downton Abbey had changed from Mrs Hughes to Mrs Carson. Elsie opened the back door and walked into the servants hall. She'd been in the village visiting Anna who was fretting about the arrival of the baby in just three short months. Normally, Elsie would've gone up to their room to change back into her black dress, but she wanted to go and find to Charles to tell him all about what she'd seen on her way back from the Bates' cottage.

As she neared his pantry, she could see him polishing the silver, Elsie could also hear that he was singing. She smiled as she recalled the last time she'd found him singing when she'd returned from the village. Even if the memory of her health scare and keeping it from her, still caused her some lingering heartache. Her breath caught, as she heard just what it was he was singing. She'd told him once that it was her favourite song and she wasn't surprised that Charles had remembered it. This was a man who could remember exactly what she'd been doing when he had realised he loved her in minute detail.

_Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green,_

_When I am king, dilly, dilly, You shall be queen._

_Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?_

_'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so._

_Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work_

_Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the fork,_

_Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn,_

_While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm._

Elsie quietly walked into the pantry and just watched as he polished the silver, wondering how she'd been fortunate enough to love this man and have him love her back. Elsie coughed lightly to get his attention and smiled as he almost dropped the platter he'd been polishing.

"Singing while polishing silver, whatever would the footmen think?" she asked as she headed over to him.

"That I'd finally gone mad." Charles replied with a smile as he put the platter onto the small table, before he kissed her lightly, "however that was a one time performance. I never sing while polishing the silver."

"Is that so?" Elsie smiled "because I seem to recall you singing once before."

"You heard that then?" he asked knowing exactly what she was referring to, he'd only have sung while polishing the silver twice. This had been the second time.

"I did," Elsie replied "and it's a memory I cherish dearly, its not every day I have a man singing in celebration of my good health." she added "and today, you made me love a favourite song even more."

* * *

1928

"What flower is this Mrs Elsie?" Sophie asked, as she looked at the flowers in the garden. Try as they might, Anna and John had failed to get Sophie to call her Mrs Carson, but Elsie didn't mind. Sophie was the closest she and Charles would ever get to a grandchild. Plus, Elsie got a kick out of Sophie referring to Charles as Mr Charlie (a name he himself had encouraged, when Sophie had, had trouble saying Charles).

"That is a lavender," she replied, watching as Sophie bent down to smell it. Sophie Jane Bates had been born on a stormy October night almost three years ago and after her parents, Elsie had been one of the first to hold her. She'd thought it then, and she felt it even more now, that Sophie was a miniature version of her mother.

"It smells pretty," Sophie smiled "like mummy."

"Shall we pick her some?" she asked.

"Will Mr Charlie mind?" Sophie asked, the last time she'd picked flowers from someone's garden, she'd been told off by the old women it belonged too.

"No he won't," Elsie smiled as she sat down beside the young girl. It would play havoc with her lower back, but she had no doubt Charles would see to that once Sophie had gone back home. "As a child I used to sing a song about Lavender's. Would you like to hear it?" she asked, gaining a nod in return.

Charles walked up the front path, wanting nothing more than to spend a quiet afternoon, in the back garden with his wife. However, he knew that he couldn't have that just yet, if only because they were looking after Sophie, while Anna and John spent the afternoon in Thirsk. As he neared the front door, he heard singing coming from the back garden. One time, Charles would have frowned when he heard the song being sung as Elsie had once told him she sung it when she was feeling low. However, since their retirement, she'd taken to singing it while she was in the garden. It had been for that reason, that they had, had a little patch of lavender put into the garden.

Instead of opening the front door, Charles changed route and headed towards the path that led to the back garden. As he turned the corner, he saw both Sophie and Elsie sat on a blanket on the grass, picking out a few sprigs of Lavender and arranging them with some other flowers. Judging by the high pitched not mature voice that accompanied it, Charles guessed that she had spent part of the afternoon teaching Sophie the song.

_Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue,_

_If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you._

_Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play;_

_We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way._

_I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;_

_When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king._

_Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?_

_I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so._

Almost as if she could sense his eyes on her back, Elsie turned her head slightly and smiled at him over her shoulder. It was the same smile she'd given him countless times over the past three years, it let Charles know that in this moment, she was completely and utterly happy.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought. I hope you all liked it. I may revisit Mr Charlie and Mrs Elsie with Sophie Bates again at some point if the mood/idea strikes.**


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